Is Christmas the most expensive time to travel?
The three weeks of winter holidays between Christmas and New Year are the most expensive times of year to fly, domestically and internationally, according to Scott Keyes, the founder of Scott's Cheap Flights. “It's an expensive time of year to travel,” Keyes said.
Each year, we see flight prices skyrocket for travel from mid-December to mid-January, surrounding the major winter holidays. While we do find a few flight deals around these dates, it's best to avoid holiday travel.
| 12/21/19 | $588 | Saturday of holiday weekend |
|---|---|---|
| 12/26/19 | $557 | Thursday after holidays |
| 12/17/19 | $553 | Tuesday before holidays |
| 5/27/19 | $549 | Monday of MDW |
| 7/1/19 | $549 | Monday before July 4th |
Prices usually go up around the holidays as there is a usual influx of travelers. Airlines know and expect this, so prices go up to meet the demand.
Because winter breaks are a bit more spread out, you have many more affordable options when it comes to Christmastime travel. Based on Hipmunk's historical data, departing on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve makes for the most inexpensive flights, with median round-trip prices for domestic flights under $400.
The average round-trip domestic airfare around Christmas costs $463 this year, according to Hopper. Blame higher prices on rising jet fuel prices, fewer scheduled flights, and pent-up travel demand. The Friday before Christmas is shaping up to be one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Costs skyrocketed during the first half of 2022 as airlines dealt with a combination of inflation and rising fuel prices; there was also an uneven supply and demand equation as interest in travel roared back to life after two-plus years of disruptions due to the pandemic.
- New Year's Eve: Monday, December 31. ...
- Worst Days: ...
- Week Before Christmas: Friday, December 21. ...
- Weekend Before Christmas: Saturday, December 22. ...
- Day After Christmas: Wednesday, December 26. ...
- Day After the New Year: Wednesday, January 2.
The best day to buy is slightly further out from your travel date, so keep in mind that the sweet spot for 2022 in terms of booking a reasonable price is about 3 months from your departure date. Most expensive months to travel: July and December (by a mile).
Jan. Most of the month. Once the Christmas through New Year's travel rush subsides, and school starts for many around Jan 7th.
What date is the cheapest to fly?
Flights are generally the most inexpensive between four months and three weeks before your departure date. Seasonal changes and holidays can create price fluctuations in ticket prices.
Why do fares get more expensive the longer you wait? You'd think everything would get cheaper as airlines try to sell off as many seats as possible, but that's far from the truth. In fact, it's the opposite. Airfare becomes notoriously expensive at the last minute.
Best time to buy? Thanksgiving and Christmas airfares will reach five-year highs thanks to jet fuel prices, fewer flights and pent-up demand, according to the travel booking app Hopper.
When it comes to Christmas, “don't book your Christmas flights too early or too late,” Anderson advises. She says you should hold off from buying the first offer that you see; prices will likely drop within two to three months of the holiday, which falls on a Friday this year.
- Be flexible. ...
- Consider the time of day. ...
- Alternate airports. ...
- Stay away from the low-cost carriers and Basic Economy fares. ...
- Choose Southwest Airlines if you're checking bags. ...
- Sign up for fare alerts. ...
- Hold your airfares for free for 24 hours. ...
- Use frequent flier miles or credit card points.
Consider a different travel date
Even if you really want to travel in the winter, the end of November/beginning of December and January/February tend to be some of the least expensive periods for flights.
For Christmas, the closer the holiday gets, the more prices climb. But we tend to see last-minute price drops for New Year's Day - especially after Boxing Day. To cut costs even further - try flying on the day of the holiday.
And much like how few people travel on Thanksgiving Day itself, relatively few people travel on Christmas Day or New Year's Day. Here's a look at Christmas and the seven calendar dates before and after over the past three years, ranked by most to fewest average air travelers, based on TSA checkpoint data: — Dec.
Hopper economist Hayley Berg says Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the most inexpensive days to travel internationally, while Wednesday tends to be the cheapest for domestic travel. “The days that other people are less likely to want to travel are always going to be the cheapest days,” Berg says.
The best time to book holiday 2022 travel
“Prices will continue to fall until early September then remain relatively flat until mid-October,” Hopper reports. But the sooner the better. With each passing day, tickets tick upwards. Ideally, you should have your holiday travel booked by October 10.
What is the best day to fly for Christmas?
- The busiest travel days for Christmas vary each year since it doesn't always fall on the same day of the week.
- For 2022, expect the busiest travel days to be Thursday, Dec. 22; Friday, Dec. ...
- For cheaper flights and less hassle, experts say you could consider booking a flight for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
Airport crowds dramatically increase in the days before and after Christmas, but Christmas Eve and Christmas Day crowds are usually light. Crowds also ease up the farther away from the holiday you get.
December 25 - Like Christmas Eve, this major holiday is customarily a family day, not one for travel. The 25th might be the slowest day for air travel this winter. If you get creative with your holiday plans, you're sure to avoid airport crowds.
Most expensive times of year to fly
That means that Thanksgiving weekend is the single worst time to fly in the United States, followed by Super Bowl weekend. The days right around Christmas and Easter week are horrible for domestic and international flights.
Expedia points out that purchasing tickets on a Sunday saved 5% more in 2022 than in 2021. The company teamed up with Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), which looked at data for average round-trip ticket prices from January through August of this year for flights originating in the U.S.
The cheapest month to fly to the United States is February. Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest United States flight deals. One of the most popular routes of flight in the United States is from New York to Los Angeles.
- Cheapest fares: January 7 to February 28.
- Cheapest single travel day: January 21.
- Best days of the week to fly: Tuesdays and Wednesdays, followed by Thursdays.
- Days to avoid: Prices are higher February 14-20 due to Valentine's Day and President's Day weekends.
The best times to travel for Christmas in 2022 are the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday before Christmas, and late on Christmas Eve or anytime on Christmas Day itself. The worst time to fly to your destination is the Wednesday and Thursday before Christmas.
When traveling within the U.S., airlines typically price one-way flights at exactly half the cost of a round-trip. There certainly are exceptions, especially for those that fly out of smaller, regional airports.
Do flights get cheaper at night?
Tuesday Around Midnight is the Cheapest Time to Book
And midnight later in the week actually gets more expensive. So put the "always book at midnight" myth to bed.
How far in advance should you book a flight to get the best deal? The best time to book a flight is one to three months before your departure for domestic airline tickets and two to eight months prior for international flights, according to Scott's Cheap Flights.
This might be impossible if you have school-aged children or you work in a school yourself but if not, travelling in July and August is generally considered to be the most expensive time to go.
The Christmas and New Year's holidays are also peak seasons in many parts of the world. In addition to those generalities, specific countries or regions or even cities may have their own peak seasons because of popular local festivals, holidays, special events, or microclimates.
Is Christmas Day a good day to fly? Airport crowds dramatically increase in the days before and after Christmas, but Christmas Eve and Christmas Day crowds are usually light. Crowds also ease up the farther away from the holiday you get.
According to Hipmunk's just-released annual travel planning guide, January is the most “cost-effective month” for travelers.
After Tuesday and Wednesday, the next cheapest days of the week to fly varies depending on the route. In general, Saturdays (for domestic travel), Mondays, and Thursdays follow as the next cheapest days to fly. And the most expensive days to fly are Sundays and Fridays.
The cheapest time to travel during the school holidays is the May half term. Not all countries have this week off, so you can normally find some great deals. To top it all off, May is already one of the cheapest months for a holiday – you're sure to bag a bargain!
Temperatures: According to the entire period of record, the warmest Christmas on record was 62° on three occasions (1999,1963,1922) and the coldest low temperature was -16° in both 1983 and 1924.
The Christmas season is meant to be a time of joy, but for many people it can be a time of stress, anxiety, disappointment or loneliness. Christmas comes with high expectations of perfect, happy families enjoying luxurious celebrations and gifts, but not all of us are able to live up to these ideals.
Is it still Christmas after 25?
When Is Christmas Day? For Western Christian churches, Christmas Day always occurs on December 25, though some cultures observe the main celebration on the night prior, Christmas Eve.
Is Christmas Day a good day to fly? Airport crowds dramatically increase in the days before and after Christmas, but Christmas Eve and Christmas Day crowds are usually light. Crowds also ease up the farther away from the holiday you get.
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Best and worst times to travel by car.
| Date | Worst travel time | Best travel time |
|---|---|---|
| 12/26/22 | 2 – 6 p.m. | Before 12 p.m., After 7 p.m. |
| 12/27/22 | 3 – 7 p.m. | Before 2 p.m., After 8 p.m. |
| 12/28/22 | 3 – 7 p.m. | Before 2 p.m., After 8 p.m. |
| 12/29/22 | 3 – 7 p.m. | Before 2 p.m., After 8 p.m. |
Expect crowded airports
Airlines have sold about 54 million seats between Dec. 18 and Jan. 3, up 20 percent from last year and 4 percent from 2019, according to Hopper. Air travel is expected to peak on the days immediately before Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas.
Mid-September to mid-October is the best time to book for holiday travel. According to Hopper's analysis of flight habits in 2022, most travelers will pay about $350 for a “good deal domestic Thanksgiving flight,” about 43% higher than last year.
Things are more likely to be closed
For instance, tours may not be available or be limited to account for wintry road conditions. Some cities make so little money from tourism during off-season that it's not worthwhile to keep certain attractions open during the off-season at all.